Continuing The Fight To End Breast Cancer

Students join hundreds of other volunteers on a journey to help end breast cancer

Continuing The Fight To End Breast Cancer
Gaelle Gilles

Students walk 3.1 miles to help fund breast cancer research
Brooke Roderick l The Cougar’s Byte

To help conclude the homecoming weekend, on Sunday, October 25, 2015, about 130 Kean University students gathered together with another 200 to 400 other volunteers for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Edison, New Jersey; a walk dedicated to help women and men conquer the cancer that has destroyed many lives already.

“I came to this walk because of my aunt, who recently died from breast cancer,” comments Tiffany Jenkins a freshman majoring in Sociology comments, “my grandmother and grandfather also passed away from breast cancer years ago.” Just like Jenkins, there were many volunteers in support of family members or close friends who had passed away or had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Students walk 3.1 miles to help fund breast cancer research
Brooke Roderick l The Cougar’s Byte

Breast cancer affects a lot of people (mainly women) today. As stated in the American Cancer Society press release for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, about 231,800 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone. And about 40,200 women will not survive from this ugly cancer. It has also been stated by American Cancer Society that about 7,300 women in New Jersey, will be diagnosed with breast cancer and that nearly 1,300 of the women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in New Jersey will die from it.

Luckily, the numbers of people who will not survive from breast cancer will continue to dwindle as more money is raised each year “to finish the fight against breast cancer.” Last year in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event in Edison, New Jersey, more than 6,000 people joined forces and help raise $380,000. The money that is raised every year goes towards breast cancer research and technology that will help find breast cancer in women and men at a treatable stage.

While some students came in support of family, like freshmen Annette Witek, a freshman who is currently undecided came to the breast cancer walk to support her cousin’s grandmother, others came for other reasons. Speech pathology major and freshman student Geysel Davila comments that she participated because she “found this very interesting and intriguing.”

Any type of cancer is hard to defeat and that is why there is a need for research for treatments that can help end cancer. And thanks to the American Cancer Society, more women and men are able to have another birthday.

Since 1993 there has been over 11 million supporters that has helped raised $685 million dollars for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. There is nothing else like this event, which as Education major and freshman Lisa Machado comments, “makes this event so fascinating and a great cause to donate to.”

For more information about breast cancer and the American Cancer Society, please visit their website. Students can also donate to breast cancer research by also visiting the American Cancer Society website.  

Students walk 3.1 miles to help fund breast cancer research
Brooke Roderick l The Cougar’s Byte

Enjoy the video below highlighting the whole month of October.